Abstract: A surface treating method and apparatus include operating a quasi-continuous wave fiber laser and pre-scan shaping the laser beam such that an instantaneous spot beam has predetermined geometrical dimensions, intensity profile, and power; operating a scanner at an optimal angular velocity and angular range to divide the pre-scan beam into at least one sub-beam deflected toward the surface being processed; guiding the sub-beam through a post-scan optical assembly to provide the spot beam with predetermined geometrical dimensions, power, and angular velocity and range, which are selected such that the instantaneous spot beam is dragged in a scan direction over a desired length at a desired scan velocity, which allow the treated surface to be exposed for a predetermined exposure duration and have a predetermined fluence distribution providing the treated surface with a quality comparable to that of the surface processed by an excimer laser or a burst-mode fiber laser.

Abstract: An electric heating pad for warming a patient includes a heated underbody support or heated mattress. The heated underbody support or mattress includes a heater assembly having a flexible sheet-like heating element, conductive bus bars attached at or near side edges of the heating element, and fabric side edge extensions attached to heating element side edges. The heated underbody support or mattress also includes a layer of polymeric foam positioned under the heater assembly and a shell, including at least two sheets of flexible material, covering at least a portion of the heater assembly and the layer of polymeric foam. When the heater assembly is wrapped around the top surface of the layer of polymeric foam, side edges of the heating element extend partially down the two side walls of the layer of polymeric foam and the conductive bus bars lie adjacent those two side walls.

Abstract: An ice protection system for an aircraft component includes a plurality of heaters. The aircraft component has at least two section and a junction area. At least one of the heaters is an H-shape carbon allotrope heater designed to apply heat to the junction area and prevent ice accumulation in the junction area.

Abstract: A heating element for a surface component is for forming an inner surface in a vehicle. The heating element has at least one film of an electrically conductive polymer material with a two-dimensionally formed electrical conductivity and also at least two electrical conductors, which are at least in certain portions spaced apart from one another and are fixed in a parallel electrically conducting manner to the electrically conductive polymer material in such a way that electrical power can be applied to the electrically conductive polymer material by way of the at least two conductors.

Abstract: Submerged arc welding torches and systems to resistively preheat electrode wire are disclosed. A disclosed example submerged arc welding torch includes: a first contact tip configured to transfer weld current and preheating current to the wire; a second contact tip configured to conduct the preheating current to the wire; an air-cooled first conductive body portion configured to receive the weld current and to conduct the weld current and the preheating current to the first contact tip; an air-cooled second conductive body portion configured to receive the preheating current and to conduct the preheating current to the second contact tip; and an insulator coupled between the first and second conductive body portions.

Abstract: An electric snowmobile that reduces a decrease in charging efficiency is provided. The electric snowmobile includes a body frame, a driver's seat supported by the body frame, an electric motor supported by the body frame, a right ski and a left ski supported by the body frame, a track mechanism including a track belt and supported by the body frame below the driver's seat, a battery that is charged with electric power supplied from an external power source and capable of supplying the electric power to the electric motor, and a battery heater H that can be driven by electric power supplied from an external power source and heats the battery.

Abstract: The method and system disclosed herein presents a food preparation system that provides a user-friendly data collection and data annotation process that leverages crowd-sourced data to reduce the prohibitive costs associated with developing an extensive training set using dedicated cooking experiments and specialized manual annotation efforts. The food preparation system and corresponding method collect one or more data types (e.g., structured data such as temperature and weight data, and unstructured data such as images and thermal maps) and allow the collected data to be annotated by human users in order to provide information regarding the process of cooking, as well as food item identity, location, and/or outline information. A combination of image processing and user input is utilized in order to create models with food recognition and determining cooking progress.

Abstract: A robotic welder includes one or more motors, one or more articulating arms connected to the one or more motors, one or more sensors configured to image a wear plate for determining welding locations for welding the wear plate to a blade of a machine, and an orbital welder to rotate a torch head for welding the wear plate to the blade.

Abstract: A split-type multifunctional underwater arc welding power supply including a shore power supply module and an underwater power supply module is provided. The shore power supply module comprises a shore power supply main circuit unit and a shore power supply control unit. The shore power supply main circuit unit comprises an input filter circuit, an IGBT full-bridge inverter circuit, an intermediate frequency transformer, and an output rectification filter circuit. The underwater power supply module comprises an underwater power supply main circuit unit and an underwater power supply control unit. The shore power supply module is provided on the shore, and the underwater power supply module is carried underwater.

Abstract: A control method for a cooking apparatus is disclosed. The disclosed control method for the cooking apparatus comprises the steps of: receiving an input of an output level for a heating coil; determining a plurality of driving frequencies for a driving power on the basis of the output level; generating a driving power alternately having the plurality of determined driving frequencies; and providing the generated driving power to the heating coil.

Abstract: A robotic shear stud welding system includes a stud feeder, a ferrule feeder, at least one work zone, a robot, and a welding gun. The stud feeder is configured to hold a plurality of studs and feed a single stud therefrom. The ferrule feeder is configured to hold a plurality of ferrules and feed a single ferrule therefrom. The robot has a controllable arm that is configured to accurately move between the stud feeder, the ferrule feeder, and each of the at least one work zones. The welding gun is attached to the distal end of the controllable arm. The welding gun is configured to pick up the single stud from the stud feeder, pick up the single ferrule from the ferrule feeder and position the single ferrule at a bottom of the single stud, and shoot the single stud to a workpiece in one of the at least one work zones.

Abstract: The invention concerns an apparatus (10) for roasting coffee beans comprising:—a housing (4),—a roasting chamber (1) presenting a bottom opening (11),—an air driver (2) configured to drive air inside the roasting chamber through the bottom opening of said chamber,—an electrical heater (3) positioned below the bottom opening of the roasting chamber, said electrical heater being configured to heat air driven inside the roasting chamber,—the air driver and the electrical heater being positioned inside the housing (4) and the housing comprising a hot air outlet hole (41) designed to enable the passage of hot air from the housing inside the bottom opening (11) of the roasting chamber, and the electrical heater (3) being positioned just below the hot air outlet hole (41),—the roasting chamber (1) being removably mounted to the housing (4), the bottom opening (11) of the roasting chamber cooperating with the hot air outlet hole (41) of the housing when the roasting chamber is mounted to the housing, wherein the appa

Abstract: A method of operating a welding torch using a rotating coupler assembly that operates between 0 and 800 amps. The rotating coupler assembly allows for 360 degrees of rotation while keeping rotational friction at a minimum. The breakaway torque for the rotating coupler assembly is insignificant and the rotating coupler assembly can be rotated with little effort by hand. While the rotating coupler assembly minimizes rotational friction the design allow for rotating coupler assembly to continue to operate after 1-5 mm of wear on the contact surfaces. An embodiment of the rotating coupler assembly can be quickly disconnected from the unicable.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments relate to the monitoring and control of additive manufacturing. In particular, a method is shown for removing errors inherent in thermal measurement equipment so that the presence of errors in a product build operation can be identified and acted upon with greater precision. Instead of monitoring a grid of discrete locations on the build plane with a temperature sensor, the intensity, duration and in some cases position of each scan is recorded in order to characterize one or more build operations.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices. The aerosol delivery devices may include an atomizer, a reservoir configured to contain an aerosol precursor composition and an electrical circuit coupled to the atomizer. The electrical circuit may include an electrical generator assembly including a moveable input member and an electrical generator configured to produce an electrical current from movement of the moveable input member. The electrical circuit may be configured to direct the electrical current to the atomizer to produce an aerosol from the aerosol precursor composition. A related aerosol production method is also provided.

Abstract: A universal plate system for mounting tool heads and/or components on manufacturing machines includes a fixed plate assembly on the x-carriage of the manufacturing machine. A mobile plate assembly is configured to removably attach to the fixed plate assembly, to provide mechanical support and electrical connectivity to a tool head assembly mounted to the mobile plate assembly. The mobile plate assembly can be easily detached from the fixed plate assembly and replaced with a different mobile plate assembly having a different tool head assembly mounted thereon. Mating of the mobile plate assembly to the fixed plate assembly provides the mechanical and electrical connection between the manufacturing machine and the newly mounted tool head assembly, thus permitting quick changes of the tool head assembly to be made.

Abstract: A food preparation jar has two rotary food processing tools; one at a bottom part of a vessel and one implemented by a lid. Each food processing tool is contained within the vessel which remains static in use. The lid replaces or combines with a main vessel lid to implement a second rotary food processing function, such as a juicing function, to supplement a main food processing function, such as a blending function, of the preparation jar, when mounted to a base unit of a kitchen appliance in an inverted orientation.

Abstract: A method of controlling an accumulation in a fluid system and associated apparatus is disclosed. The method comprises heating. The heating is adaptive or adaptable. The method comprises adapting the heating in accordance with a parameter associated with a development of accumulation. The parameter is monitored. An associated subsea heating system (20) for controlling an accumulation in a subsea flow line (28) is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for monitoring weld cell and related activity is disclosed. The activity is sensed using a variety of sensors, and reported to the controller, or to a remote location.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method for manufacturing a metal part which comprises attaching a powder forged or wrought outer raced ID splined plate to a powdered metal inner splined connection gear, wherein the outer raced ID splined plate incorporates a female ID profile on the race, wherein the inner splined connection gear contains a mail OD profile on the exterior of the part, and wherein the splined plate and the splined connection gear are attached together by (1) sinter brazing, (2) laser brazing, (3) laser welding, (4) sintering a mechanical joint, or (5) staking. In practicing this method a tight mechanical joint is formed between the splined plate and the splined connection gear which can be made of highly dissimilar materials, such as a wrought metal and a sintered powder metal.